discotheque [1920s] French discothèque was borrowed directly, simply dropping the accent. Originally it was a record library (on the model of bibliothèque ‘library’), then a club where recorded music was played for dancing. By the 1950s the English-speaking world had opened its own discotheques, and the USA very quickly shortened the word to disco. Disco for a style of music is first recorded from 1972. See also jukebox.